IT was a big weekend of “saddles and paddles” at Gregory on the weekend with many up for the canoe race making a weekend of it with the horse racing on Saturday.
The annual Gregory Downs Jockey Club meet seemingly brought out the entire Burke Shire community who enjoyed the six-race card.
In Race 1 the Brodie and Co Class B Handicap over 800m Grant Wiles’s Yancha Boy with Tamara Tincknell aboard held off Purfleet Princess and Sweeney in a thrilling finish.
In Race 2 the Start Construction-Kevin from Heaven QTIS Maiden Plate over 800m produced a win for trainer Tanya Perry whose horse Honey Cat was expertly guided home by Keith Ballard half a length ahead of Bronze Tiara with Just Pretends back in third.
Race 3 was the Nowland Engineering / George Watson Memorial BenchMark 45 Handicap over 1100m.
This race was as close as you can get with the photo unable to split two horses and the judges announcing a dead heat between Tanya Perry’s Dane Sweeper ridden by Dan Ballard and Shyrn Gabriel-Royes’s Born to Fire with Tasha Chambers aboard.
Born to Fire looked beaten but found new legs in the last 60m to catch Dane Sweeper.
Born to Fire looked beaten but found new legs in the last 60m to catch Dane Sweeper.
There was a tense few minutes as both trainers took a long, hard look at the photo before being satisfied with the result.
Nicabelle was third.
In Race 4 favourite Murrumbidgee recovered from a disappointing second at Julia Creek when heavily fancied, and gave Mount Isa trainer Denise Ballard her first win of the day.
Dan Ballard was aboard winning by a length from Mountain Promise and Court Action.
Race 5 was the feature race of the day the Burke Shire Cup Open Handicap over 1300m with the Denise-Dan Ballard combination coming to the fore again.
All Fives was the favourite and an appropriately-named winner in a five-horse field in race five, finishing well clear of the field.
Iron Meteorite was second, over four lengths behind with What The Heck a further six lengths behind in third.
In Race 6, the North West Canoe Club BenchMark 50 Handicap over 1500m, Snazzy Sox was a roughie winner for Wayne Crossland with Jason Kropp aboard.
Requirement was second, and Banco third.
